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1 Brainstorming
One way to capture your thought is by brainstorming, or listing thoughts as they come to you. You might brainstorm a second or third time to generate
more ideas.
2 Clustering
In clustering, you write your subject in the middle of the page and then circle it. You write related ideas around the circle as they occur to you.
Then you circle the ideas and connect them to your subject circle. These related ideas are like branches.
3 Free Writing
You simply write about the subject without worrying about sentence, structure, spelling, logic and grammar.
2.3.3 Organizing
After you have put your ideas into words, you can begin to organize them. This process involves selecting, subtracting, and adding. Think again about your
purpose and audience what goal does you want to accomplish – to inform, persuade, or entertain? What point do you want to make? And what should you
tell your readers so that you can accomplish those goals? Return to your pre writing and do the following:
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1 Underline or highlight best ideas in your brainstorming list, putting related
ideas together. Add to the as more ideas occur to you and remove or ignore the parts that are not related to your choices.
2 Choose the part of the clustering diagram that has the best ideas.
Do a second clustering diagram that explores those ideas in greater detail. Ignore the parts of the original diagram that are not related to your choice.
3 Circle or highlight the best parts of your free writing.
Do a second even a third free writing on them, Ignore the parts of each free writings that are not related to your choice. And focus more
specifically on your subject and add more details. 4
Outlining After selecting, subtracting, and adding, the writer can make an informal
outline. Meyers, 2005:5-6
2.3.4 Writing the First Draft
Some steps for drafting can be stated as follows: 1
Say something about before you write in 2
Write fast by hand or by computer 3
Use only one side of the paper 4
Leave wide margins and double space to make room for changes. 5
Save your work every five or ten minutes on the computer. Meyers, 2005: 6
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2.3.5 Revising the Draft
Revising is among the most important steps in writing, especially for people who write in a second language. Revising means improving what you have
already written. When your revise, you examine how well you first draft make its point and achieves its purpose for its audience. That may require rearranging
ideas, developing ideas further, cut out ideas that do not support your point, and changing the wording of your sentences. These are some tips for revising:
1 Make notes in the margins or write new material on separate sheet of
paper. 2
Circle words you think you misspelled or will want to change later 3
Tape or staple additions where you want them to go. 4
On the computer, use cut and paste or insert commands to move things around.
5 Print out a double space copy for revisions: slow down and revise in
pencil. Meyers: 2005: 7
2.3.6 Producing the Final Copy
